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Kenai volleyball gets pair of wins

Posted: Sunday, October 16, 2005

By MATT TUNSETHPeninsula Clarion

The Kenai Central volleyball team made rather poor hosts of themselves Saturday morning, dispatching the visiting Kodiak Bears in a three-game Northern Lights Conference match that took all of 50 minutes.

The match began early in order to accommodate Kenai players hoping to get to Anchorage in time for the school's state championship football game against Eielson, and apparently the Kards were infused with plenty of school spirit.

Kenai took control of the match early, using strong team play and passing to overwhelm the Bears.

"That's what we've been practicing on, just staying together as a team," Diorec said.

After picking up an easy win in the first game, Kenai picked up where it left off in the second, jumping out to a 5-1 lead behind a couple big kills from captain Jamie Peterson. Kodiak was eventually able to cut the lead to 9-8, but they'd never get any closer, as Kenai won six of the final eight points to finish off the game.

Peterson finished the second game with four kills, while Amber McGlasson had three.

McGlasson and Peterson were big throughout the game, with McGlasson knocking down the quick sets and Peterson slamming the ball home from the outside. The Kenai offense moved effortlessly at times, with Kendra Steiner, Sam Calderwood and Katie Foley doing much of the passing and McGlasson, Peterson and Lindsay Keener providing much of the scoring punch.

In the third game, Steiner's powerful serve got Kenai off to an 8-0 lead that allowed the Kardinals to cruise to an easy victory. Peterson added two aces in the final game, while McGlasson contributed six kills.

Following the match  Kenai's second three-game win in as many days  Diorec said his team appears to be building momentum as it nears the conference tournament. Kenai also picked up a 25-14, 25-8, 25-12 non conference win over Anchorage Christian on Friday night.

"We're trying to do some team building," he said. "You've got to enter regions as a team."

With two impressive victories over the weekend, he said his team is getting closer to where it needs to be. But he also cautioned that the Kards must continue to stay focused and work on keeping their heads in the game.

"We're still not as consistent as I'd like it, but we're getting there," he said.